Is life cruel, or is it funny? It seems to me that the way you answer this questions says a lot about how you approach the world. Doing a little self-reflection, I find I tend to believe in the "cruel" thesis. If something unexpected happens to me, I'm inclined to think that someone or something did this on purpose to hurt me. I think I'm missing out on a bit of joy by seeing life in these terms. When you take the point of view that life is fundamentally funny, then more of what happens is seen as a source of pleasure, inspiration, and marvel. That's a much better way to go.